Pokémon Live! The Novelization
by Nintendo Maximus
Summary: Here it is! An adaptation of the popular musical starring the Pokémon characters! Ash is determined to win the Diamond Badge, but little does he know that it is actually part of an evil plot by Giovanni to power up his new super Pokémon, MechaMew2!
1. Act 1

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Pokémon, Nintendo does.

**Author's Note:** Hello! This is my very first fanfic on ff.net, and it is a novelization of the musical "Pokémon Live!" I hope you enjoy it!

* * *

**It is Sunday morning in Pallet Town. But little does Ash Ketchum know he's in for the biggest adventure of his life!**

Ash Ketchum was asleep in the bottom bunk of his bed, with his Pikachu at his feet. Mimey was sweeping around the room when Ash heard his mother, Delia, calling him from the outside of his bedroom. She was clearly agitated.  
"Ash! Hurry up!" Delia called with urgency. "Professor Oak is waiting! We're going to be late!" Delia entered the room, accompanied by Professor Samuel Oak, the "Pokémon Professor", and saw that her son was still in bed. "Ash! You're not even out of bed yet! I woke you an hour ago! I told you we don't have much time!"  
"And I told _you,_" Ash said from his bed, "I don't want to go!"  
"You're passing up a rare opportunity, my boy," said Professor Oak, holding some tickets.  
"I've got important things to do," Ash said.  
"It's not every day a world-renowned Pokémon expert personally invites us to his lecture on sleep disorders among the Snorlax."  
"I know all about Snorlaxes!" said Ash. "I've _got_ a Snorlax."  
"There's always more to learn," Professor Oak said.  
"It'll be fun, Ash," Delia added.  
"You guys go. I'll be fine." Ash winked at the Professor. "Just don't bring my mom home too late."  
"Ash... I'm not... We're not... I didn't..." Professor Oak was a little flustered by Ash's remark about having a secret relationship with his mom. "This is a serious lecture! Professor Xalrons is a brilliant speaker. And this is the first time he's been in this hemisphere in over a decade!"  
Delia turned to Ash. "I really want us to do things together. The way we used to. I miss that."  
"Mom!" Ash shouted. "I'm not a baby anymore. I'm a Pokémon Trainer. And if I'm going to be a Pokémon Master, I have serious work to do."  
"He's got a point there, Delia," Professor Oak added. "Like it or not, he's growing up."  
"And I've got to be ready in case I run into Team Rocket!" Ash turned over.  
"I'd prefer it if you stayed _away_ from Team Rocket," Delia argued.  
"Oh, Ma... you don't know anything about it."  
"I know more than you think. About a lot of things, young man."  
Professor Oak looked at his watch. "If we're late we won't get a good seat. And there'll be no time to buy popcorn!"  
"I'm coming," Delia said to the Professor. She turned back to Ash. "See you later. Train well!" she said, kissing him good-bye.  
Ash wiped away the kiss. "Mom! You don't kiss Pokémon Trainers!"  
"You do when they're your little boy," Delia said, following Professor Oak out the door.  
"_MOM!_"  
"When they're your _son_," Delia corrected herself. "But you'll always be my little boy. Be careful."  
Ash rolled his eyes and watched as his mom and the Professor walked out the door. When he saw the door close, he threw off the covers. "Finally!" He grabbed a remote control and hit the play button to turn on his stereo. The Pokémon Theme started playing, and Ash, wearing nothing but his pajamas and socks, danced along to it.

"I want to be the very best  
Like no one ever was  
To catch them is my real test  
To train them is my cause  
I will travel across the land  
Searching far and wide  
Each Pokémon, to understand  
The power that's inside

(Pokémon! Gotta catch 'em all!)  
It's you and me  
I know it's my destiny (Pokémon!)  
You're my best friend  
In a world we must defend!  
(Pokémon! Gotta catch them all!)  
A heart so true  
Our courage will pull us through  
You teach me and I'll teach you  
Pokémon!  
(Gotta catch 'em all!)  
Gotta catch 'em all!  
Pokémon!"

As Ash was tapping his feet to the rhythm of the showtune, he didn't notice that his door was opening again. Two of Ash's good friends, Misty Waterflower, the girl from Cerulean City with a baby Togepi, and Brock Slate, the girl-crazy but eyeless gym leader from Pewter City, came in.  
"Ash?" Brock called. "Are you here?"  
Misty took a look at Ash having a shakedown with the song playing on his stereo. "Ash...?" Misty said, surprised.  
The song continued to play, and had just reached the end of the first singing of the chorus when Ash turned around and saw his pals standing there in the doorway, watching him dancing in his PJs. A drop of sweat appeared beside his brow. "AH!" Ash said, startled. "Misty! Brock!" He grabbed his remote and shut off the music.  
"What are you doing?" Misty asked.  
Ash went into his closet to change as he tried to explain. "I'm... It's... It's this special Pokémon Trainer workout. There's a video and everything!" Misty and Brock stared at him, skeptical. Ash came out of the closet wearing his usual clothes. "Aah, forget it," Ash said, putting on his gloves. "I'm done anyway."  
"With your workout," Misty grinned.  
Ash picked up his TV remote control and turned it on to PBS. "Did you see the commercial for that new Pokémon badge?" Ash asked, changing the subject.  
"The Diamond Badge?" Brock answered, sitting on the bed. "I sure did. It's on every channel. Even PBS!" As he was talking, Brock heard a muffled squeak from Pikachu, whom he was sitting on. Ash and Misty didn't hear Pikachu, but Brock did. He tried to adjust himself, and again he heard Pikachu squeaking.  
As if on cue to Brock's reply, an message appeared on the TV screen. "We interrupt 'Sesame Street' to bring you this important commercial," the announcer said.  
The commercial began. An evil-looking face appeared, hidden in the shadows, with the only unshadowy features being his eyes.  
Evil eyes.  
"Hey you!" The speaker announced, his voice distorted by computer effects. "Yeah, you sitting on the couch eating Doritos! How'd you like a shot at getting the one-of-a-kind Diamond Badge?" A Pokémon badge shaped like a glittering silver diamond appeared next to the speaker's ominous face, and a URL appeared below, labeled . "Just go to the site with the hyperlink below," the shadowy person continued, "and print out the map to my Gym! I'm waiting..." The commercial faded out.  
Mimey brushed around Misty as Ash turned the TV off. "That badge is awesome! I've got to be the one to have it!" Ash pulled the printout map the commercial mentioned off of his desk. "I've already downloaded my map. I'm outta here!"  
Under the bed covers, Pikachu had had enough of Brock sitting on him. He readied up an attack.  
"Pi... ka... chu!"  
The bed lit up as Pikachu shot electricity from his red cheeks, hitting Brock so hard that you could almost see his normally nonexistent eyes.  
"Whoa!" Brock screamed, his brown hair standing up. He fell down onto the floor, lifting one leg up. "Ow."  
Pikachu popped up from under the covers. "Pikachu!" he said.  
"Sorry," Ash said to his Pokémon. "He didn't know you were under there. Come on, Pikachu!" Pikachu moved to his trainer. "We've got a badge to win!"  
"_Wait!_" Misty called from behind. "What about me?!"  
Ash turned to face the girl whom he had loved ever since they first met. In Ash's secret words, she had beautiful aqua eyes, soft glowing hair, a heart-shaped mouth, slender arms, a thin stomach, forever-growing legs, soft smooth skin, and most importantly to him, rose red lips that he was dying to have touching his. But Ash had fears that she would smash him with the Hammer she hid in her shorts. But what Ash didn't know was that Misty only did that to flirt with him. In privacy, Misty had told herself that Ash was so handsome with black black hair, a hypnotizing smile, tanned skin, chocolate brown eyes, strong shoulders, and muscular arms that Misty wanted to be held in. But anyway, Ash turned to Misty and said, "You can come, too."  
Misty put her left hand over her now closed eyes, as if crying. "I meant, we were supposed to go to the movies for my birthday," she said, in a very sad tone. "Which was three weeks ago!"  
"You did promise," Brock told Ash, getting up.  
"But..." Ash tried to say.  
"_YOU FORGOT ALL ABOUT IT!_" Misty sobbed. "Just like the last week and the week before!"  
"I didn't forget," Ash said, trying to make it up to the girl he loved. "But that was before that Gym Leader came up with the new Diamond Badge. I've got to be the one to win it! Not only for me, but for my Pokémon!"  
"What about your friends?" Misty complained.  
"Pokémon are my friends, too," Ash answered. "And they're important. To all of us.

A magic feeling... it's grown so strong...  
Always leads me... to a place where I belong...  
Won't go away... never let me down...  
I've got the greatest friends... that ever could be found...

Across every river!  
Behind every tree!  
On top of every mountain!  
They're a part of you and me!"

All: "(One world!) One world... Now and forever!  
(Best friends!) Best friends... Loyal and true!  
(One dream!) One dream... Put side by side!  
There's nothing we can't do!  
(One hand!) One hand... Helping the other!  
(Each heart!) Each heart... Beating as one!  
(We live!) We live... Always together!  
Sharing the same bright sun!  
(One world!) You & me & Pokémon!"

Misty: "They rush like water... soar like the wind..."  
Ash: "They're always with me... every day that I begin..."  
Brock: "They burn like fire... they chill like ice..."  
Ash: "They take on any challenge... make any sacrifice..."

All: "Across every river!  
Behind every tree!  
On top of every mountain!  
They're apart of you and me!

(One world!) One world... Now and forever!  
(Best friends!) Best friends... Loyal and true!  
(One dream!) One dream... Put side by side!  
There's nothing we can't do!  
(One hand!) One hand... Helping the other!  
(Each heart!) Each heart... Beating as one!  
(We live!) We live... Always together!  
Sharing the same bright sun!  
You & me & Pokémon!"

Ash: "You & me & Pokémon!"

All: "(One world!) One world... Now and forever!  
(Best friends!) Best friends... Loyal and true!  
(One dream!) One dream... Put side by side!  
There's nothing we can't do!  
(One hand!) One hand... Helping the other!  
(Each heart!) Each heart... Beating as one!  
(We live!) We live... Always together!  
Sharing the same bright sun!

(One world!) One world... Now and forever!  
(Best friends!) Best friends... Loyal and true!  
(One dream!) One dream... Put side by side!  
There's nothing we can't do!"

Ash: "You & me & Pokémon..."  
Misty: "You & me & Pokémon..."  
Brock: "You & me & Pokémon..."

All: "One world!"

The three trainers went to the front door of the house. "Well, no further platter chatter," Ash said, turning the doorknob. "Let's get to that Gym before someone else gets that badge."  
As the heroes set off on their adventure, there was something going on in all of their heads.  
_How can I get back in Misty's good book?_ Ash thought. A good way would be to confess his love for her. ...Provided she wasn't going to hit him with the Hammer.  
_Who brought our ketchup?_ Pikachu loved ketchup just as much Misty secretly loved Ash.  
_I wish I knew if Ash loves me as much as I love him._ Misty, who had constantly had dreams of marrying Ash, was worried that if she told him that she loved him, he would break her heart.  
_How's daddy going to make up with mommy?_ thought Misty's baby Togepi. Misty was the first person who Togepi saw, so Togepi thought Misty was its mother. Since Misty was in love with Ash, Togepi thought of Ash as its dad.  
_What's Link got that I don't?_ Brock couldn't seem to figure out why he never got a date. But at times, the others seemed to know the answer.

**Meanwhile...**

The secret Gym resided in the middle of Mahogany City. Three trainers came in the front door of this Gym.  
"And just who would you be?" asked the mysterious Gym Leader. He was the same person from the commercial. He sat in a chair in the shadows. In person, he had a British accent in his voice. But like in the commercial, you could only see his eyes and mouth.  
"Our names are not important," said one of the trainers. "But what is important is that one of us will get the Diamond Badge!"  
"Well, then," said the Gym Leader, "let's see what you've got!"  
"OKAY!" The trainer, and one of the other trainers, who was obviously his brother, tossed their Pokéballs, and out popped their Pokémon. "Go, Alakazam!" shouted the trainer.  
"Go, Venusaur!" The other trainer shouted, in unison with his brother.  
"Oh-ho, a challenge!" said the mysterious Gym Leader, grinning an evil grin. "Well, then, I choose... _MECHAMEW2!_" As the Gym Leader declared his choice, sliding doors beneath him opened up, and out came a black-and-grey-clad mechanical-looking Pokémon whose design looked similar to that of Mewtwo, the 150th Pokémon. Its height was nine feet, and it weighed 4,587 pounds. Its eyes glowed an evil red hue.  
"'MechaMew2'? What's that?" said the first trainer.  
The trainer's brother looked in his Pokédex. "No data available," it said.  
"Well, let's give it a double attack!" the trainer told his sibling.  
"Right!" The trainer's brother agreed.  
The older sibling turned and made a command to his Alakazam. "Alakazam! Use your Psychic attack!"  
"Venusaur, Poison Powder!" the younger one said.  
Both Pokémon attacked MechaMew2 at the same time. But right after they did so, MechaMew2 raised its right hand and reflected both attacks at them. The Poison-type and Psychic-type Pokémon both fainted.  
"AHH!" the older trainer shouted. "That thing's copied their attacks!"  
Having seen that MechaMew2 had copied the attacks in order to defeat them, the third trainer, who was obviously the smartest of the bunch, stepped in front of them. "Guys, you're not thinking clearly." He sent out his Electric Pokémon, Electrode. "Electrode, _Selfdestruct!_"  
It did.  
_BOOM!_  
When the explosion cleared, there was a crater where Electrode had been. MechaMew2 was not affected one bit, for the challenging Pokémon had already fainted. Dejected, the trainers left in defeat.  
"Well done, MechaMew2!" The Gym Leader commented his marvel. "Soon your collection will be complete..." As he said this, he got up from his chair and stepped into the light to reveal his true identity. An evil-looking Persian followed beside him. Down below, near MechaMew2, the Gym Leader's henchmen appeared as the Gym Leader continued. "...So says _Giovanni_, Boss of Team Rocket, and soon to be ruler of the world! And this, the MechaMew2, based on the mighty Mewtwo I once owned, is the perfect plan for world domination! This mechanical marvel has one technique: Learn, which allows it to memorize, copy, and return the attack of any Pokémon it battles. The Diamond Badge has done a great deal of luring those stupid trainers to contribute to MechaMew2's collection of attacks!

I was born to rule the world and I almost achieved that goal (Rocket Grunts: "Giovanni!")  
But my Pokémon, the mighty Mewtwo, had more power than I could control. (Rocket Grunts: "Giovanni!")  
Still he inspired this mechanical marvel, which learns and returns each attack. (Rocket Grunts: "Giovanni!")  
My MechaMew2, the ultimate weapon, will tell them Giovanni is back! Ha ha ha ha ha ha!

There'll be world domination, complete obliteration of all who now defy me!  
Let the universe prepare, good Pokémon beware, you fools shall not deny me!  
Now go, go! Go, go!  
It will all be mine, power so divine!  
I'll tell the sun to shine on only me!  
It will all be mine, until the end of time  
When this perfect crime makes history!  
Team Rocket! This is our destiny!"

A Rocket Grunt brought Giovanni a blackboard with a list of all the techniques that a Pokémon could learn. Beside each attack that MechaMew2 had learned, there was a tally mark. With a piece of chalk, the Rocket Grunt put tally marks next to "Psychic" and "Poison Powder".  
"Ah," Giovanni observed, "Mecha-Mew2's attack collection is almost complete, but there are two exceptions... Thundershock and Thunderbolt! Those attacks can only be possessed by electric Pokémon, namely... _Pikachu!_ Well, no doubt I'll regret this, but it has to be done..." He turned around and called out to his two most worthless henchmen. "JESSIE! JAMES! Get your lame butts in here!"  
In response to the order, Jessie and James entered, accompanied by their coworker, Meowth. "You bellowed, Boss?" Jessie asked.  
"You have one last chance to redeem yourselves," Giovanni told them, a look of evil in his eye.

"Listen up, you scheming fools, no excuses, and no more lies! (Rocket Grunts: "Giovanni!")  
You've heard my most ingenious plan, I demand the ultimate prize! (Rocket Grunts: "Giovanni!")  
Now bring me the yellow Pokémon and bear witness as I speak. (Rocket Grunts: "Giovanni!")  
I shall possess the awesome power in Pikachu's rosy cheeks! Ha ha ha ha ha ha!

There'll be world domination, complete obliteration of all who now defy me  
Let the universe prepare, good Pokémon beware, you fools shall not deny me  
Now go, go! Go, go!  
It will all be mine, power so divine!  
I'll tell the sun to shine on only me!  
It will all be mine, until the end of time  
When this perfect crime makes history!  
Team Rocket! This is our destiny!"

Not wanting to be left out of their boss's big musical solo, Jessie and James joined in with their motto.

Jessie: "To protect the world from devastation!"  
James: "To unite all peoples within our nation!"  
Jessie: "To denounce the evils of truth and love!"  
James: "To extend our reach to the stars above!"  
Jessie: "Jessie!"  
James: "James."

Giovanni: "There'll be total devastation, pure annihilation, or absolute surrender!  
I'll have limitless power, this is our finest hour!  
Now go, go! Go, go!"

"Uh, right, Boss!" said Meowth, accepting the mission. With that, Team Rocket headed off for what may have become their last mission if they failed to accomplish it.  
"It won't be long now," Giovanni said, sitting in his chair. "Soon, MechaMew2 will have every Pokémon attack, and then... _the world will be MINE!_"

**Soon...**

Team Rocket was in the forest, digging one of their trademark pits. At least, Jessie and James were. Meowth was just complaining.  
"I still t'ink dis ain't a good idea!" the catlike Pokémon griped. "Our pit traps neva woik!"  
"Oh, shut up, Meowth!" Jessie shouted. "This may be the one pit that does work!"  
James lifted his shovel. "There!" he declared. "It's fully hidden!"  
Team Rocket hid in the bushes. In the distance they could see Ash and his friends making their way towards the trap.  
"So what's da plan again?" Meowth asked his teammates.  
"Isn't it obvious?" Jessie replied, in surprise that Meowth didn't get it. "Once the twerps fall into the pit, we capture Pikachu!"  
"Shh!" James shushed, putting his right index finger up to his mouth. "Here they come!"  
So Team Rocket got down and kept quiet. Jessie and James grinned with glee as they saw the "twerps" approach the pit. But the grins turned to frowns when they saw the "brats" walk right over the trap without falling in. As the trainers passed, Team Rocket came out of the bushes and investigated the hole.  
"What's wrong with this stupid trap?!" Jessie said. "Why didn't it work!?"  
"What a rip-off!" James remonstrated.  
"Here's da answer..." Meowth said angrily, pulling up the reason why the trap was a dud. "Ya left da supports in!"  
"Oh, no wonder it didn't _WOOOOORK!!!_" Just as James was saying that, the trap collapsed under him and Jessie, and they literally fell into the gap.  
Meowth slapped his right paw over his face. "Oy vey..."  
Jessie called out an order from the pit. "Meowth, go find Mondo and ask him for a rope to get us out of here!"  
"Yes," Meowth sighed as he set off to find Mondo, who had gotten Jessie and James out of all of their previous predicaments. "Da t'ings I do for Team Rocket..."

~

Up ahead, Misty still felt that Ash was ignoring her, and Ash was trying to find his way to the Gym. Behind them, Brock was trying to pick up all the female trainers on the road.  
Misty watched Brock's unavailing semi-quest to get a girlfriend. Misty didn't have to think twice as to what Brock's problem was. There were two real answers to Brock's difficulty: his immaturity, or the fact that he had strange-looking eyes. _Why did we have to bring him along?_ Misty thought, watching as Brock got rejected once more. _We could have let Tracey come along. He has eyes, and he's more mature..._  
Ash pulled Brock by the shoulder. "Stop it, Brock, or we may lose you! We have to stick together, because we're all best friends.

Here we are, on a new adventure...  
Danger lurks somewhere in the darkness.  
We are set for surprises, even battle...  
We're a team, no one better mess with us...  
If we stand as one, there's nothing to fear..."  
Misty: "We'll beat the darkness, and we'll stay right here..."  
Ash: "Time after time, that's how it will be...  
Just you and meeee!"

All: "'Till the end I will be with you!  
We will go where our dreams come true!  
All the times that we have been through!  
You will always be my best friends!"

Misty: "Good friends are those who stick together...  
When there's sun, and in the heavy weather...  
Yeah! Smile after smile, that's how it will be...  
Just you and meee!"

All: "'Till the end I will be with you!  
We will go where our dreams come true!  
All the times that we have been through!  
You will always be my best friends!"

Brock: "I remember when we first met...  
We had such fun, oh I never will forget!  
Since then, the times are so good...  
We've always stuck together like best friends should!"

All: "'Till the end I will be with you!  
We will go where our dreams come true!  
All the times that we have been through!  
You will always be my best friends!

'Till the end I will be with you!  
We will go where our dreams come true!  
All the times that we have been through!  
You will always be my best friends!"

Pikachu: "Pikachu!"

**Back in Pallet...**

Professor Oak and Delia had arrived at the beat-up building where the lecture on the Snorlax disorders was being held. A big banner was hung high above the door, labeled "THE PLACE WHERE PROF. XALRONS' LECTURE IS - _Not_ Team Rocket's Secret Ambush Site".  
"I'm worried, Professor," Delia said, in a rather sad tone. "I may be losing touch with my son. Ash is growing up too quickly."  
Professor Oak turned to comfort her. "Well, Delia, I'm afraid you can't do anything about it. But as they say in the song... everything changes."

Oak: "Your heart's beating around the clock  
Time tickin' away it doesn't stop  
Evolution is takin' place  
The world is spinnin' and changin' everyday (Delia: "changin' everyday")  
Anything you think of with a name (Delia: "think of with a name")  
There isn't anything in life, that ever stays the same...

Everything changes, changes  
Things are changin' constantly  
Everything changes, changes  
It's evolutionary..."  
Both: "Everything changes, changes"  
Oak: "Changin' all the time"  
Delia: "Playin' with my mind"  
Both: "Modified or rearranged  
Everything has gotta change"

Delia: "You take a chance, you throw the dice  
You risk it all," Oak: "it's just a part of life,"  
Delia: "(just a part, just a part of life)  
You hold on tight, to what you know"  
Oak: "You can't hold back, you gotta let it go,"  
Delia: "(gotta let it go)  
Every little step that you embrace"  
Oak: "One road ends,"  
Delia: "another begins"  
Both: "And takes you to a better place...

Everything changes, changes  
Things are changin' constantly  
Everything changes, changes  
It's evolutionary  
Everything changes, changes  
Changin' all the time  
Playin' with your mind  
Modified or rearranged  
Everything has gotta change..."

They walked inside the building, with Delia feeling a bit better from Professor Oak's reassurance. But that emotion wound up becoming shock, because once they came in, Rocket Grunts jumped out of the shadows and surrounded them!  
"Huh?" Delia asked "Is this a part of the lecture?"  
"What's going on?" Professor Oak demanded to know.  
"I'LL SHOW _YOU_ WHAT'S GOING ON, OAKIE!" shouted a British-accented voice from behind the Rocket Grunts.  
A tall Rocket Grunt picked Delia and the Professor up by their shirts, tied their hands behind their backs, and brought them into visual range of his leader.  
"Giovanni," Professor Oak addressed him coldly.  
"You are correct, sir!" Giovanni said, pointing at him mockingly. "As you can see, the 'lecture' was really just a clever plan to lure you into my trap, so you wouldn't ruin my greatest achievement!" The Rocket Boss took a look at Delia. "And I see you've brought an old friend of mine!"  
Delia was rather upset by that. "Giovanni, everything between us was in the past!"  
Giovanni just stood there in a taunting-like manner. "Everything changes, they say, and you, Delia, have changed a lot!"  
Delia and the Professor looked at each other as the dictator began his sarcastic reprise.

"Everything changes, changes  
Things are changin' constantly  
Everything changes, changes  
It's evolutionary  
Everything changes, changes  
Changin' all the time  
Playin' with your mind  
Modified or rearranged  
Everything has gotta change!"

Giovanni pointed to a camouflage-color Team Rocket helicopter outside by the front door. "Now, get into the cages on that helicopter out there! I'm taking you two for a little ride..."

**Later that day, not more than an unladen Pidgey's flight away...**

Ash, Misty, and Brock were lost and alone in the forest. "I know exactly where we are!" Brock said, trying to cover up his errors.  
"So do I!" Misty answered madly. "Right back at that same gnarled oak tree for the third time! The one with the three branches!"  
Ash decided he had had enough of Brock using the map, so he turned to his eyeless friend and said, "Let me see the map, Brock."  
"Don't you trust me?" Brock said, trying to get out of it.  
"You tried that already," Misty said, putting her right arm up. "Give it to us."  
Brock made a beat. "I don't have it."  
"You don't have it?!" Ash said, his jaw down.  
"What happened to it?" Misty said, having the same anger as the object of her affections.  
"I threw it in the river when I was talking to that girl," Brock responded.  
"What?!" Ash said, shocked from Brock's answer rather than from the usual attack from Pikachu.  
"I couldn't ask her for directions if I had a map in my hand!" Brock tried to reason.  
Misty lost it. "You threw away the map?! How could you?!"  
"Chill, Misty," Brock urged her.  
"I'll chill _you!_" Misty shouted, balling up her left hand into a fist.  
Just then, Ash spotted another trainer nearby. This trainer bared a resemblance to Jessie of Team Rocket, but was male. "Hey, here comes another trainer," Ash told his friends, "I'll bet he's on his way to try for that badge, too. Maybe he can give us directions!" He called out to the trainer. "Hey, you!" But the trainer did not give a response, as if he hadn't heard Ash. Ash ran over to him, and Misty and Brock followed. "I was calling you. You could at least answer! Are you on your way to try to win that Diamond Badge?"  
The trainer turned around and moved his hands in sign language. What he was trying to say was _Yes! Me will win!_  
Ash was confused. "Is that sign language?"  
The Deaf Trainer nodded.  
"You can't speak?"  
The Deaf Trainer moved his hands to say _Me deaf!_  
"Great!" Ash kicked a rock.  
Brock, being the oldest of the group, got in front of Ash. "Maybe I can help."  
Ash was pretty annoyed with Brock for losing the map and causing them to get lost. "You've helped enough already."  
"Fine," said Brock, "but it doesn't look like either of you know sign language."  
"And you do?" Misty said, doubtfully.  
"Watch and learn," said Brock. He waved at the Deaf Trainer.  
"That's it?" Misty said, not understanding.  
Brock communicated with the Deaf Trainer in sign language. Brock moved his hands to_ We lost. Your map share ask?_  
_Maybe..._ the Deaf Trainer signed. _But first, that person weird hair. We challenge!_  
"What'd he say?" Ash asked.  
Brock turned back to Ash. "He'll share his map with us. But first he challenges you to a battle."  
_No, no, no..._ the Deaf Trainer said in sign language. _Me signed weird hair!_  
Brock corrected his last sentence. "Actually, what he said is, he challenges the guy with the weird hair to a battle."  
Ash turned to Misty. "What's wrong with my hair?"  
"Nothing," Misty answered. She really wanted to stroke that hair right now.  
Ash turned to the Deaf Trainer. "You're on! I can use the practice before I face that Gym Leader." He turned around to brag to Misty. "This'll be a snap." He then turned to Brock. "Tell him he can choose his Pokémon first. My Pokémon and I are evenly matched for battle!"  
_Will let's see who perfect match!_ the Deaf Trainer signed, taking out his Pokéball.  
"He said, 'We'll see who's perfectly matched!'" Brock translated.  
_Me choose..._ the Deaf Trainer then signed his Pokémon's name in fingerspell: _J.P. Pink. Round._  
Brock gave a shot at translating the fingerspell. "'I choose... J... P... pink... round...'" It didn't take him long to figure out what the Deaf Trainer said. "'I choose Jigglypuff'. He said 'I choose Jigglypuff!'"  
Jigglypuff came out from her PokéBall, holding her marker.  
Ash and his group backed off, like as if they were encountering the Knights Who Say Ni from "Monty Python and the Holy Grail". "NO!" Ash, Misty, and Brock shouted, in unison.  
"Pik!" Pikachu squealed, simultaneously with the others.  
Before they could get away, Jigglypuff had started singing her song. The group began to fall asleep.  
"The Jigglypuff song..." Ash said, losing his battle to stay awake.  
"Anyone who hears it falls asleep..." Misty said, trying to position herself so that she'd fall asleep on Ash.  
"But he can't hear it," Brock said, pointing to the Deaf Trainer. "They are perfectly matched!"  
"Don't fall asleep," Ash tried to tell everyone. "It'll draw on your face."  
The three of them fell asleep. Jigglypuff finished singing and looked at the snoozing listeners, then at the Deaf Trainer. Jigglypuff was furious that no one but her trainer had stayed awake to hear her song. She opened her marker up and drew on Ash and Brock's faces. She put some scribbles on Pikachu, too. She was about to draw on Misty's face, but the Deaf Trainer signed for her to stop. She did so. The Deaf Trainer took out his map and left it on the drowsy-eyed Brock. Having done his part in this story, the Deaf Trainer recalled Jigglypuff and left.  
Sometime after the Deaf Trainer had split, Misty woke up. "What happened?" she asked herself. But her attention turned to Ash, and how cute he looked sleeping with Jigglypuff's marks on his face. Misty moved over to him. _Look at you,_ Misty thought as she looked at Ash. _Covered in Jigglypuff's drawings, your hair all mussed up. It's so easy to talk to you when you're asleep._ Misty gently lifted Ash's head onto her lap, took out a tissue, and started wiping the ink from his face. _I wish it were just as easy to tell you how much I love you..._

"Out here in the quiet of the night  
Beneath the stars... and the moon...  
We both know we've got something on our minds  
We won't admit, but it's true.  
You look at me, I look away...

I wanna tell you what I'm feelin', but I don't know how to start  
I wanna tell you, but now I'm afraid that you might break my heart  
Oh, why should anything so easy ever be so hard to do?  
I wanna tell you what I'm feelin'  
And to say that, I love you...

I practice all the things that I could say  
Line by line, every word.  
I tell myself, today could be the day,  
But every time, I lose my nerve.  
I look at you, you look away...

I wanna tell you what I'm feelin', but I don't know how to start  
I wanna tell you, but now I'm afraid that you might break my heart  
Oh, why should anything so easy ever be so hard to do?  
I wanna tell you what I'm feelin'  
And to say that, I love you...

Why, why do you turn away?  
It must be, you're afraid like me.  
I try, but I can't pretend that I  
Don't feel for you the way I do.  
Can't you see?

I wanna tell you what I'm feelin', but I don't know how to start  
I wanna tell you, but now I'm afraid that you might break my heart  
Oh, why should anything so easy ever be so hard to do?  
I wanna tell you what I'm feelin'  
And to say that, I love you...

I love you..."

Misty finished wiping off Jigglypuff's marks off of Ash's face. She was about to lean in to kiss Ash's cheek when he suddenly woke up. "What are you doing?" Ash asked.  
"I..." Misty wanted to tell Ash that she loved him, but she couldn't. "I'm just wiping off the stuff Jigglypuff drew on you."  
"Oh. Thanks." Ash got up on his feet. "I had the strangest dream. It seemed so real. Someone was singing this really pretty song."  
"It was..." Misty wanted to tell Ash she was singing the song, but had the same difficulty as with confessing her love. "It was probably just one of the side-effects of Jigglypuff."  
Part of Ash was happy to drop the whole discussion, but the other part was happy to hear Misty's soft-sounding voice. "I guess so," he said. "We'd better get going. That Gym Leader's waiting."  
"Yeah, he is," Misty said. _Dang! _She thought. _Another chance wasted._  
Ash looked at the snoring Brock, who was still covered in Jigglypuff's drawings, and saw the map rolled up on Brock's right shoulder. "Hey, look! Jigglypuff's trainer left us his map. This is great!" He shook Brock to wake him up. "Come on, Brock! Time to go!"  
Brock woke up, half-asleep. "What?"  
Misty was frustrated from not being able to confess her love for Ash, so she let it out on Brock. "This time _I'm_ holding the map!" She headed off with Ash.  
"What map?" said the still half-asleep Brock, trailing after them.  
"Hurry up, Sleeping Beauty," Ash said, using the term as loosely as possible.

**While that was going on...**

Jessie and James had fallen asleep in their pit due to Jigglypuff's song when Meowth came back with the rope he got from Mondo. "I got da rope!" Meowth called to his teammates. "I'm gonna tie it to dis tree, den t'row da rest down t'ya, so youse guys can climb up it." He tied the rope to a nearby tree, but didn't get any response. He looked down into the hole and saw Jessie sleeping comfortably on James' chest. "Dey're sleepin'! Takin' a nap! Snorin' away like a couple of Snorlaxes while I do all da woik!" He called down into the pit. "Yo! Wake up!" But the couple just snored away. "Dat's it!" Meowth started to walk away. "I'm t'rough savin' yer butts! Get yerselves outta dis mess! Dey are da two lamest, dumbest, stupidest humans I ever woiked wit'! 'I'm Jessie!' 'I'm James!' Dey never do anyt'ing right..." As Meowth complained about their incompetence, he didn't notice Jessie and James climbing out of the pit. They came up behind him and lifted him up from the ground one arm each. "Hey, what are ya, crazy?! Put me down!"  
"Why are you saying all those things?" James demanded.  
"Why are you telling everybody we're losers?" Jessie necessitated, in unison with James.  
"Because ya are!" Meowth answered to his incompetent teammates.  
"Like, no way!" James contradicted. "We're the man!"  
"We're cool!" Jessie added.  
Meowth sighed. "Look up 'loser' in da dictionary, and you'll find a big picture of da two of youse!"  
"Is it a nice picture?" Jessie said dreamly, dropping Meowth.  
Meowth groaned with anger. "Youse never do anyt'ing right!!!"  
Jessie and James stood there for a while, then both said at the same time: "He's right!" They sank down, and leaned on each other's backs.  
"We try! But we get no respect!" James lamented, sounding like Rodney Dangerfield.  
"Everybody loves all the Pokémon," Jessie grieved.  
"Everybody wants to be Ash."  
"Or Misty. What's with that hair?"  
"Or even Brock or Tracey."  
"But they just laugh at us! Our self-esteem is in the toilet!"  
"We might as well quit."  
"Yeah!"  
"No!" Meowth cried. "Ya can't! If ya quit, what happens t'me?"  
Jessie and James just shrugged. "We've always been the worst," Jessie wallowed. "Just once I'd like to be the best at something."  
"Me too," James added.  
Meowth jumped in front of them and started an attempt at cheering them up. "But we _are _da best at somethin'!

We're da best at bein' the woist!  
We're statistically number one!  
James: "Yeah, a hundred percent..."  
Jessie: "...Incompetent!"  
Meowth: "Hey, dat's never been done!

We're very good at being very bad.  
It's our grade of success dat's sadly been weak."  
Jessie: "We'll just have to accept,"  
James: "We're completely inept."  
Meowth: "Dat's what makes us so unique!"

James: "We're the Hindenburgs of crime!"  
Jessie: "We crash and burn each and every time!"  
James: "Masters of disaster!"  
Jessie: "No one screws up faster!"  
Jessie & James: "Hey! At failure we shine!"

All: "We're an imperfect ten!  
Team Rocket's blasting off again!  
So I guess we're just cursed!"  
Meowth: "And youse hoid it here foist!"  
Jessie, James: "We're the best at being the worst!

Who'd guess we'd get so far,"  
James: "By being completely sub-par?"  
Jessie: "As losers we've raised the bar!"  
Jessie, James: "Now we're superstars!

We're the best at being the worst!"  
Jessie: "At coming in last, we're always the first!"  
James: "Our flaws are top-drawer!"  
Meowth: "We define Moiphy's Law!"  
All: "We're the best at being the worst!

We're totally immersed,  
And incredibly well-versed,  
We're the best at being the worst!"

Team Rocket was now feeling much better about themselves.  
"Thanks, Meowth!" James complimented. "Now let's go capture Pikachu!"  
"And deliver him to The Boss!" Jessie added.  
Meowth watched his teammates set out to continue their mission. _I shoulda been a shrink..._ he thought, as he began to follow them.

**Soon, at Cerulean Blue Lagoon...**

The heroic group had now arrived at the Cerulean Blue Lagoon, standing on the seashore. Ash was now carrying the map to the secret gym. They didn't seem to notice a parascope sticking up from the water.  
"So, Ash," Brock asked, "which Pokémon are you planning to use against the mysterious Gym Leader?"  
"Isn't it obvious?" Ash answered. He called to his prized Pokémon.

"(Pikachu!) You know that you're the one so...  
(I choose you!) There's no else that I'd rather...  
Have you by my side!  
'N you can help me win this fight!  
Because we need to face the challenge that's ahead!   
(Pikachu!) You know there is no other...  
(I choose you!) Because you are my brother...  
In this game we play!  
And if we have to go all day!  
So w'can leave the other masters far behind!

I've been training all my life!  
Waiting all this time...  
For this moment to arrive!  
'N now that it's here...  
I don't have the fear!  
Cuz there's nothing left to hide!

It's me and you!  
And there's nothing that we can't do!  
Cuz in the Pokémon world!  
Even masters hafta learn!  
They will always find something new!

(Pikachu!) You know that you're the one so...  
(I choose you!) There's no else that I'd rather...  
Have you by my side!  
'N you can help me win this fight!  
Because we need to face the challenge that's ahead!   
(Pikachu!) You know there is no other...  
(I choose you!) Because you are my brother...  
In this game we play!  
And if we have to go all day!  
So w'can leave the other masters far behind!

I will never doubt the dream...  
As long you're with me!  
I know we can reach the top!  
We're the greatest team!  
This game has ever seen!  
And we'll never ever stop!

(Pikachu!) You know you are the one!  
(I choose you!) There's no else that I'd rather...  
Have you by my side!  
'N you can help me win this fight!  
Because we need to face the challenge that's ahead!"

**But...**

As Ash and his friends were grooving to the song, down below, under the water, Team Rocket was sitting in their Magikarp submarine. Jessie was watching the action in the parascope. "There he is!" Jessie said, aiming the parascope's vision at Pikachu.  
"Now," James ordered, "let's launch the net!"  
Jessie pulled a trigger. Outside the submarine, a big net launched out of the parascope. Pikachu was so busy dancing he didn't notice the net coming behind him. But he soon felt it, because the net swooped him up, and took him down into Team Rocket's submarine. Team Rocket was long gone by the time Ash noticed that something was wrong.  
"AHH!" Ash shouted, looking at the empty spot where Pikachu had been. "What happened?! Pikachu has vanished!"

**Has Team Rocket finally won? Will Giovanni's evil plan succeed? Is it curtains for the Pokémon World? Will Ash find a way to make it up to Misty? How did Giovanni recognize Delia? What is it with Brock's eyes? And why am I asking stupid questions like these? Find out the answers to most of those questions in the next chapter of Pokémon Live!**


	2. Act 2

**Last time in Pokémon Live!, Ash and his friends set out on their quest to win the one-of-a-kind Diamond Badge. But the Badge is part of a clever ploy by Giovanni, who has already captured Ash's mom and Professor Oak, so they wouldn't interfere with his latest scheme! Giovanni's new super-Pokémon, MechaMew2, has the power to learn, then amplify and return the attacks of any Pokémon it battles! Now, it seems Ash and friends may not have the power to destroy this mechanical creature, and worse yet, Jessie and James were sent to capture Ash's Pikachu - and they've succeeded! Oh, the horror of it all! Can our heroes save the day? Let's find out, shall we?**

Ash turned around and called to Misty and Brock. "C'mon! We gotta find Pikachu! Team Rocket must have captured him! Let's split up!"  
Brock headed off into the nearby forest.  
"Wait a minute," Misty said to Ash. "Maybe Pikachu wasn't kidnapped at all. He probably left you of his own will."  
_Now why would daddy's favorite Pokémon do that?_ Togepi thought.  
"HE WOULD NOT!" Ash shouted at Misty. "Why would he want to do that?!"  
"Well, after all, you seem to have gotten a habit of ignoring your friends. Think about it." Misty followed after Brock. "Wait up, Brock!"  
Ash stared sadly at the sea. _Maybe she's right,_ Ash thought. _Maybe Pikachu doesn't want to be my Pokémon anymore. Maybe he _did_ run away. I didn't think it would, but it looks like the time has come..._

"I close my eyes and I can see the day we met," he warbled.  
Just one moment and I knew  
You're my best friend, do anything for you

We've gone so far, and done so much  
And I feel like we've always been together  
Right by my side, through thick and thin  
You're the part of my life I'll always remember

The time has come  
It's for the best, I know it  
Who could have guessed that you and I...  
Somehow, someday, we'd have to say goodbye

You've helped me find the strength inside  
And the courage to make my dreams come true  
How will I find another friend like you?

Two of a kind, that's what we are  
And it seemed like we were always winning  
But as our team is torn apart  
I wish we could go back to the beginning

The time has come  
It's for the best, I know it  
Who could have guessed that you and I...  
Somehow, someway, we'd have to say goodbye

Somehow today... We have to say goodbye."

**Meanwhile, at the Secret Gym...**

Ash's mom and Professor Oak had been locked in separate cages, hanging from the ceiling above Giovanni's battle arena.  
"No matter what, Delia, I won't let Giovanni hurt you!" Professor Oak declared. He did not realize that he may have been verifying that he had a secret relationship with Delia, like Ash had teased him about that morning.  
"We've got to get out of here!" Delia said, tugging at the bars on her cage. "Thank goodness Ash didn't come with us. At least he's home, safe."  
"We'll find a way out of these cages. I promise!" Professor Oak said. As he said this, his face suddenly looked ill. "Oh, dear."  
"What's wrong, Professor?"  
"I'm still feeling a little queasy from that helicopter ride over here. Dangling in the air in a cage is not my idea of fun!"  
"Take a few deep breaths," Delia instructed.  
The Professor did so.  
"How's that?" Delia asked.  
The Professor was now no longer looking weak. "Better. Much better," he answered. "What's the scientific principle behind that?"  
"I don't know. It's a mom trick."  
"It's good. Do you have any mom tricks for opening locks?"  
"I wish I did," Delia said, her head hanging low.  
"Then, I'll just have to resort to my martial arts training." Professor Oak put up a fancy preparation, then performed a martial arts kick on the lock of his cage door. The lock didn't feel any effects from the kick, but Professor Oak wound up in extreme pain. He jumped around his cage, holding his sore foot. "Yow!" he cried in anguish pain.  
"Professor, are you all right?" Delia called from her cage.  
"Maybe I should've kept up my lessons," the Professor said, rubbing his foot. When he was finished doing so, he turned to face Delia's cage and inquired "I don't mean to pry, but... what did Giovanni mean... about you and he being back together again?"  
Delia paused for a short moment as she decided to tell her story. "I might as well tell you. I wasn't always the upstanding woman you know. As a teenager, I fell in with a bad crowd. There was this one boy who I eventually married. He always claimed he was 'practicing' leading a gang he said that his mother started, which he called Team Rocket!"  
Professor Oak was in shock. "You're telling me that Giovanni is Ash's father!?"  
"But I didn't stay with him long," Delia continued.  
"Does Ash know?"  
"No!" said Delia, rather upset. "And he musn't. He'd never understand. I came to hate Giovanni and all he stands for!"  
Giovanni came in just as Delia was finishing telling Professor Oak her flashback. He had overheard Delia saying that she now hated him. "You really _have_ changed," the leader of Team Rocket observed, petting his Persian. "The Delia I knew would _never_ be so mean!"  
Delia caught site of Giovanni. "But you would! You hate everyone and everything!"  
"I don't hate _you,_ Delia," Giovanni said tauntingly, shaking his fist so that Delia could see his wedding band. "I have wonderful memories of those early days."  
"You're a monster!" Delia insulted her ex-husband. "You only wanted heir to your leadership! Am I glad I divorced from you!"  
"Show us your 'greatest achievement', whatever it is," Professor Oak demanded, "and let us go!"  
Giovanni laughed demonically. "Always in such a rush, Professor. You really should learn to relax. You'll live longer."  
"You've had your fun, Giovanni," Delia said angrilly.  
"The fun hasn't even begun." Giovanni signalled a Rocket Grunt to open the sliding door behind him. "Behold... _MechaMew2!_" The mechanical Pokémon appeared behind him from out of the sliding doors again.  
"There's no such Pokémon!" Professor Oak said, not amused.  
"I know. It's mechanical. I created it. All by myself," Giovanni bragged. "MechaMew2 has the power to learn and the amplify the attacks of any Pokémon it battles. Once it has battled every type of Pokémon, it will be invincible! And then, the world will be mine!"  
"You're mad!" Delia shouted.  
"I'm not mad. Maybe a little angry," Giovanni muttered, rolling his eyes to his right.  
"You'll never accomplish all that!" Professor Oak argued.  
"I already have. Observe..." Giovanni had one of the Rocket Grunts bring out the Tally Board of MechaMew2's learned attacks. There were tally marks next to just about every attack listed. The only ones not marked were Thundershock and Thunderbolt. "We've had a very busy couple of days," Giovanni continued. "The only attacks left to be learned are electric. And one little electric Pokémon is all that stands between me and world domination! And you two are here to witness the final battle. You should feel quite honored." With that, Giovanni let out another loud evil laugh.

"One more, won't be much longer," he sang,  
"Till my... plan is complete!  
One fight, then after that  
You'll all be at my feet!

One hand, ruling the planet!  
Each day... is mine to run!  
You'll live... to serve your master!  
My reign has just begun!

My world... you and me, my Pokémon  
We'll beat one more Pokémon..."

Giovanni laughed for quite a while before Professor Oak shouted at him. "You won't get away with this! You'll be stopped!"  
"By whom?" Giovanni said assuredly. "Certainly not you!"  
"By someone!"  
Just then, Giovanni heard familiar shouts behind him.  
"Prepare for trouble!"  
"Make it double!"  
Giovanni could immediately recognize the voices. "Oh, what is it now?" he complained. "I was in the middle of some heavy-duty taunting!"

Jessie, James: "Prepare for trouble!  
Make it double!  
Prepare for trouble!  
Make it double!"

Jessie: "To protect the world from devastation!"  
James: "To unite all people within our nation!"  
Jessie: "To denounce the evils of truth and love!"  
James: "To extend our reach to the stars above!"  
Jessie: "Jessie!"  
James: "James."  
Jessie, James: "Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light!  
Surrender now or prepare to fight!"  
Meowth: "Dat's right!"

All: "Team Rocket's rockin'!  
Talking trouble, walking trouble,  
Double trouble, big trouble's gonna follow you!  
Team Rocket's rockin'!  
Talking trouble, walking trouble,  
Double trouble, big trouble's gonna follow you...  
We captured Pikachu!"

Meowth brought in Pikachu, who was tied up in the rope that they had used to get out of the pit, and presented him to Giovanni. The Boss was in shock, from Team Rocket being successful, not from Pikachu, that is. "I can't believe it."  
Delia took a look at the roped rodent and, with quiet urgency, said to Professor Oak "That's Ash's Pikachu!"  
"I know," said the Professor.  
"It was easy!" James said to his chief. "We snatched him from that Ash kid out by the lagoon!"  
"It was like taking Pokémon Fruit Snacks from a baby!" Jessie said.  
Delia and Professor Oak exchanged a look as Giovanni untied Pikachu.

Jessie: "We're Team Rocket and we fight for what's wrong,"  
James: "For mayhem, and madness, and rare Pokémon!"  
Jessie: "I'm so gorgeous!"  
James: "I'm always the man!"  
"You're just the players in his master plan!" Delia shouted, saying what Giovanni would normally say in this kind of song.  
"Jealous?" Jessie and James asked.

"Team Rocket's rockin'!  
Talking trouble, walking trouble,  
Double trouble, big trouble's gonna follow you!  
Team Rocket's rockin'!  
Talking trouble, walking trouble,  
Double trouble, big trouble's gonna follow you...  
We captured Pikachu!

Team Rocket's Rockin'!"

Giovanni finished untying Pikachu. He lifted him by the ears and handed him to his lackeys. "Take the Pikachu and order him to attack MechaMew2."  
Jessie and James were a little surprised that Giovanni wasn't going to give them a reward for a job well done. But they figured that maybe he was going to wait until MechaMew2 had gotten the needed attacks to give them their reward.  
"Why don't you do it, Boss?" James asked, in a griping tone.  
"I can't have a Pokémon battle with _myself,_ you idiot!"  
"Oh, yeah." James took one end of the rubber rope, to which Pikachu was still tied to, and turned to Jessie, who looked as if she wasn't paying any attention to The Boss's order. "Hey, how 'bout a hand, my short, magenta, and useless partner?"  
"I was just fixing my hair." Jessie took the other end of the rope.  
They dragged Pikachu up to MechaMew2. James took the last of the rope off and gave an order to Pikachu. "Okay, Pikachu, do that thunder thing you always do to us! Now!"  
Pikachu readied up a Thundershock. "Pi... KA... _CHU!_" He delivered a mighty blow to Jessie and James.  
"Yow!!!!!" the couple screamed, during which their hair stood up. The electric attack sent them flying at the cages. They accidentally hit the bolts that were keeping the cages locked. This caused the cage doors to open up. Jessie and James fell down and landed on the ground below the cages.  
Delia jumped out of her cage. "Let's go!" she said to Professor Oak.  
"But we should try to save Pikachu," the Poképrof said, climbing out of his cage.  
"There's no time!" Delia said, grabbing Professor Oak by the hand. "We've got to get to Ash!"  
As the pair raced off, Giovanni grabbed Pikachu from behind, furious that the red-cheeked rodent wasn't obeying the given commands. "Very funny, my little yellow friend," he said, placing Pikachu in a cage that a nearby Rocket Grunt was holding up. "But we'll see who has the last laugh. Rocket Grunt, take him out of here!" The Rocket Grunt did so.  
Jessie and James got up and saw Delia and Professor Oak escaping through the front door of the Gym.  
"Boss!" James alerted, pointing to the escapees. "The prisoners are getting away!"  
"You want us to go after them?" Jessie requested.  
"Don't bother," Giovanni said, rubbing his hands gleefully. "They've served _their_ purpose. They'll be able to give the world a firsthand report of my power! And of my beautiful MechaMew2!"  
_Oh, brudda,_ Meowth thought, _he's real serious about dis..._  
"But I need Pikachu's trainer. Obviously _he's_ the only one Pikachu will obey." Giovanni turned around to give Team Rocket their latest mission. "Do you think you can handle it?"  
"We got you a Pikachu, didn't we?" Jessie said.  
"The trainer will be a snap!" James said positively.  
"Then stop that incessant snapping," Giovanni commanded, "and go do it!"  
"Hit it!" Jessie cued the reprise.

"Team Rocket's rockin'!  
Talkin' trouble, walkin' trouble  
Double trouble, big trouble's gonna follow you!  
Team Rocket's rockin'!  
Talkin' trouble, walkin' trouble  
Double trouble, big trouble's gonna follow you...  
We're gonna capture Ash-y too!"

**Meanwhile, our heroes continue their search for Pikachu.**

Wild Mankeys swung through the trees as Misty and Brock looked for Pikachu. But there was something that was confusing Brock: Misty telling Ash that Pikachu may have run away. Misty never usually said something to upset Ash _that_ much. Misty had been a lot nicer to Ash during their journeys' course of time, and one time Misty had even said that someday she and Ash would be married. And it puzzled Brock as to why Misty would say something to cause such emotional harm to Ash.  
Misty was looking through some tall grass to see if Pikachu was hiding behind there when Brock asked her "Misty, do you really believe that Pikachu ran away? Ash may ignore his friends sometimes, but he always treats his Pokémon well."  
Misty got up, taking Togepi with her. She realized that Brock had a point there, and she couldn't hide the truth behind her claim of Pikachu running away anymore. "No," Misty sighed, "I don't believe Pikachu ran away."  
_Aah, it was stupid to think so anyway,_ thought Togepi.  
"I wanted Ash to realize he's alienating his friends," Misty continued. She remembered that Ash had forgotten their date that he had promised for her birthday, and Misty felt that Ash was ignoring her for his Pokémon. Misty sighed again, this time in a sadder tone. "Oh, why is it some guys never notice girls?"  
"Where did you get that? _I_ myself notice girls a little too well," Brock said, as if in contradiction to Misty's pining. "Unfortunately, I can never decide on _my_ perfect girl. So many of them seem right! But I'll tell you this. Of all the girls I've met, there are only two perfect girls for me - Nurse Joy and Officer Jenny!

A one-woman man's what I wanna be,  
To stay by her side so faithfully!  
I would if I could, but it's just no good,  
'Cause there's two perfect girls for me!

Jenny, oh Jenny!  
Joy, oh Joy!  
A one-woman man's what I wanna be  
But there's two perfect girls for me!

Officer Jenny, oh, can't you see  
You can lock me up and throw away the key?  
Jenny, if lovin' you's a crime  
Then sentence me now and I'll do the time!  
My uniform beauty is simply the best!  
She's got my heart under house arrest!  
But before that cop names me her boy,  
I'm head-over-heels (He's head-over-heels)  
I'm head-over-heels for a nurse named Joy...

Jenny, oh Jenny!  
Joy, oh Joy!  
A one-woman man's what I wanna be  
But there's two perfect girls for me!

Nurse Joy, won't you please  
Cure me of this bad disease?  
Oh, Joy, the diagnosis is bleak!  
When I see your face my knees get weak!  
Well, I'm burnin' up, I got the fever!  
She's my perfect nurse and I'll never leave 'er!  
Her bedside manner has healed so many,  
So why am I in love (Why's he so in love?)  
Why am I in love with Officer Jenny?

Jenny, oh Jenny!  
Joy, oh Joy!  
A one-woman man's what I wanna be  
But there's two perfect girls for me!

A one-woman man's what I wanna be,  
But there's two perfect girls for me!

Oh, I've tried (tried!) and I've tried (tried!)  
And I've searched way deep inside (deep inside)  
From these two, I won't choose! I can't stand the bad news  
'Bout the name of the girl that I'm gonna lose!

This can't go on! Enough is enough!  
I've gotta pick one, no matter how tough!  
It's time for eeny-meeny-miny-mo...  
But, wait a second! (Wait a second!)  
Wait a second! (Come on and wait a second!)  
What's her name? I've just gotta know!  
I've just gotta know!

Oh, Jenny, oh Jenny!  
Joy, oh Joy!  
A one-woman man's what I wanna be  
But there's...  
One, no, two!  
No, three! Four! Five! Six! Seven!  
So many! Perfect girls for me!"

As Brock tried to decide which of the girls he liked best, Misty walked a few feet away. _Oh, brother,_ she thought. He thinks he's got a love problem! He should look at mine... She reached into the left pocket on her shorts and pulled out a heart-shaped locket with a picture of Ash winking and giving a thumbs-up in the frame. Misty had had this locket for quite some time. She looked deeply at the locket as she continued thinking. _Ever since I met Ash, I've always wanted to become Misty Ketchum! But what if Ash doesn't love me the way I love him?_  
At that time, Ash had more on his mind than his crush on Misty. He also realized that although Pikachu, his closest friend, may have been gone forever, he would have to get on with his life.

**And, not too far away...**

Delia and Professor Oak were rushing through the forest to escape, continuing their discussion about Delia's past. "Tell me more about your marriage to Giovanni," the Professor inquired.  
Delia went on to describe what it was like when she and Giovanni gave birth to Ash. "He was always trying to make Ash an ideal future leader of Team Rocket. I didn't like it, so I divorced from him. I'm afraid to tell Ash of my past, but I want him to know the truth of what happened years ago."  
_It's times like this I think to myself, I could've been a psychiatrist when I had the chance,_ Oak thought to himself. _But nooooo, I had to choose being an animal researcher!_

Delia: "I can never tell him what happened long ago.  
The truth about my past is something he should never know."  
Misty: "I can never tell him my feelings deep inside.  
The truth within my heart is something I must always hide."

Delia: "He's whole life lies ahead, so much training to be done,  
And as his mother, I'll protect the future for my son."  
Misty: "His love is overwhelming, in it's light I'd like to be,  
But he shares it all with Pokémon, there's just no room for me."

Misty, Delia: "I've got a secret, that tears up my soul  
And keeping it hidden, has taken its toll  
I can't tell the truth, he might turn away  
So I'll keep this secret, it's better that way."

Ash: "Each end's a new beginning, every darkness has its dawn.  
My tears can't fall forever, so now I must move on.  
My hopes are still the same for the man I'd like to be.  
And I will make those dreams come true, just you wait and see!

(Misty, Delia: "I've got a secret") There's no turning back!  
(Misty, Delia: "That tears up my soul") There's no giving up!  
(Misty, Delia: "And keeping it hidden") Life still goes on!  
(Misty, Delia: "Has taken it's toll") No matter how long!  
(Misty, Delia: "I can't tell the truth") I'm gonna miss you  
(Misty, Delia: "He might turn away") More and more each day!  
(Misty, Delia: "So I'll keep this secret") But I'll keep on going."  
All: "It's better that way."

**Soon... **

Ash met up with Misty and Brock, having not found Pikachu anywhere. "Did you find Pikachu?" Ash asked his two friends.  
"No," Brock replied.  
"No," Misty responded, in unison with Brock.  
"I fear the worst," Ash said, getting ready to walk to the right, but facing the other direction, since he was talking to them. "I may have to live without Pikachu."  
"Ash!" a familiar voice said.  
Ash turned around and saw Delia and Professor Oak right in front of him.  
"Mom!" Ash said, surprised. "How'd you get here?"  
Before Delia could explain to her son, Professor Oak spoke up. "We've got news for you, Ash. Giovanni is the mysterious Gym Leader, and he has Pikachu trapped in his hideout!"  
Ash was confused. "'Giovanni'? Who's he?"  
"Giovanni is the leader of Team Rocket!" Professor Oak explained to the 13-year-old Pokémon Trainer. "And he plans to take over the world!"  
"I do believe I've seen him before..." Ash said. He recalled his first encounter with Giovanni at Mt. Quena. He and his friends were trying to help heal Mewtwo by getting him to the self-healing spring at the top of the mountain. Giovanni had gotten in the way, and that was how Ash had his first encounter with Team Rocket's Boss.  
Ash began to head off in the direction of the secret Gym. "Well, I'm going to go free Pikachu and get the Diamond Badge!"  
"Wait, Ash!" Delia called behind him. "I must first let you know that... Giovanni is your father!"  
"WHAT!?" Ash screamed.  
Delia immediately confessed about her past, mustering the courage to do so. "I hung out with him as a teenager. But I divorced from him when he tried to make you Team Rocket's next leader!" But down inside, Delia was still worried that Ash would have a negative reaction to that.  
Instead, however, Ash patted her on the right shoulder. "It's okay, mom. That gives me more reason to crush him."  
_Huh?_ Delia thought, surprised. _He understood?_  
Just then, the five humans heard two very familiar voices.  
"Prepare for trouble!"  
"Make it double!"  
"To protect the world from devastation!"  
"To unite all peoples within our nation!"  
"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"  
"To extend our reach to the stars above!"  
"_Jessie!_"  
"_James!_"  
"Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light!"  
"Surrender now or prepare to fight!"  
"_Meowth!_ Dat's right!" Meowth chimed in.  
Team Rocket had showed up riding scooters. They pulled to a stop and Jessie pointed her left index finger at Ash. "There you are, Ash! We want you to come with us!"  
"And why would that be?" Ash questioned.  
"Well," James explained, "we're bringing you to save your electric rodent."  
As James was saying this, Jessie's Wobbuffet came out of his Pokéball. "_WAAAAABBA-WOBBA!_" he cried.  
"And it's none of _your_ business!" Jessie scowled, recalling Wobbuffet.  
"OK, I'll go," Ash said, agreeing to Team Rocket's invitation.  
"WHAT?!" Team Rocket was shocked that Ash wasn't going to put up a fight.  
"I'm looking forward to a little _'reunion'..._" Ash shook his right fist. Team Rocket didn't know what Ash meant, but at least they were going to accomplish their mission, so they led Ash to their headquarters.  
"What a relief..." Delia said as she watched Ash follow Team Rocket to the gym.  
"What do you mean, Mrs. Ketchum?" Misty asked Ash's mother.  
Delia explained why she was surprised earlier. "I was afraid Ash would have a negative reaction to my telling him that Giovanni was his father. I'm surprised he doesn't think less of me for my bad past." She was by now smiling. "I guess that Ash growing up may not be such a bad thing. Maybe change _can_ be good...

Everything changes, changes  
Things are changin' constantly  
Everything changes, changes  
It's evolutionary  
Everything changes, changes  
Changin' all the time  
Playin' with your mind  
Modified or rearranged  
Everything has gotta change."

**Soon, at the Gym...**

Giovanni chortled demonically as he gloated at the caged Pikachu. "Heh heh heh... Finally, my plans are coming to fruition! Soon, your trainer will make MechaMew2 invincible!"  
Pikachu didn't know what Giovanni was talking about, but he was going to get an answer soon. Just then, Giovanni heard Meowth calling him from the front door. "Boss!"  
"Ah," Giovanni said, turning around, "he's here..."  
"HA!" Jessie laughed. "Now, we've not only captured Pikachu, but we've also got Ash!"  
Ash stepped in front of Team Rocket, a few feet away from Giovanni. "Hello, _dad,_" he said, using as much anger as he could use on "dad".  
"_What?!_" Giovanni was annoyed by this. "How did you know I was your father?!"  
Jessie and James rolled their scooters closer to the steamed Giovanni, and Meowth followed them. This time they weren't going to wait for their rewards. "So now," Jessie said to Giovanni, "how about our reward?"  
"Do I get t'be Top Cat again?" Meowth added.  
"GET... OUT... OF MY SIGHT!!" Giovanni shouted in their faces.  
Team Rocket was shocked again, this time by how antagonistic Giovanni was acting to them. "But... but..." James pleaded, "but we did _everything_ you told us to do!"  
"Exactly," Giovanni said. "And now I have no further need of you two!"  
Jessie and James didn't have to think twice to realize that Giovanni had just fired them. "Fine then!" Jessie said. She and James turned their scooters around and scooted the other way.  
"Looks like Team Rocket is blasting off again..." they both said, "for the final time!"  
Meowth saw where they were going and shouted, "Wait! Stop! Dat's da..."  
_CRASH!_  
"...broom closet." Meowth shook his head and went after Jessie and James.  
Giovanni called to the Rocket Grunt who had brought in the cage Pikachu was in. "Rocket Grunt, release my _son's_ Pikachu."  
The Rocket Grunt did so, and Pikachu ran and got up on Ash's left arm.  
"Pikachu!" said Ash, joyfully reunited with his Pokémon. "It's good to see you again!"  
"Chaa!" Pikachu squeaked.  
Giovanni just laughed evilly. "Enjoy the pregame show while you can, _son_, because _you just can't win!_

You're way out of your league, you've more than met your match!"  
Ash: "I guess you're slowing down, old man, you can't hit what you can't catch!"  
Giovanni: "Soon the whole world will know the genius of my plan!"  
Ash: "I will find a way to stop you any way I can!"

Giovanni: "You're such a goody-two-shoes! It's more fun being bad!"  
Ash: "No one's gonna side with you - you're stark raving mad!"  
Giovanni: "Oh yeah? Just ask your mother!"  
Ash: "That's all in the past!"  
Giovanni: "Listen to me, little boy, nice guys finish last!"

Ash: "Oh no! You just can't win!"  
Giovanni: "You're not that strong!"  
Ash: "Time to pay for your sins!"  
Giovanni: "You've got it all wrong!  
You just can't win!"  
Ash: "I'm gonna shut you down!"  
Giovanni: "Your chances are slim!"  
Ash: "No more fooling around!"  
Both: "Let the battle begin!  
You just can't win!"

Ash watched as his ex-father said "I have a super-powerful Pokémon, and I'm going to use it for this match. Behold... _MechaMew2!_" Once again, as Giovanni announced it, MechaMew2 came out from the sliding doors.  
"'MechaMew2'?" Ash was baffled. "But there's..."  
Giovanni slapped his face. He was so tired of hearing that! "I know, I know. 'No such Pokémon!' MechaMew2 is a mechanical Pokémon I created all by myself. It has an attack so powerful, your Pokémon will feel like it was hit by its own attack!" Giovanni took the Diamond Badge out of his coat pocket and gave it to Ash. "Here - I give you... _the Diamond Badge!_"  
Ash was by now even more bewildered. "You're giving me the Diamond Badge ahead of time? Why?"  
Giovanni walked back to MechaMew2 and got behind it, his eyes rolling toward Ash. "I'll retrieve it after_ you lose._"  
"We'll see about that!" Ash took the tip of his Pokémon League hat and twirled it around his head, like he always did at the start of a battle.  
The battle began.  
"Pikachu, _THUNDERSHOCK!_" Ash shouted to Pikachu.  
"_Pikachu!_" Pikachu said, as he sent a mighty Thundershock to MechaMew2. But the machine didn't look as if it had felt the attack.  
_Ah, excellent..._ Giovanni thought. _The fish has taken the bait._  
"That didn't work?" Ash said. "Well then, Pikachu, _THUNDERBOLT!_"  
Pikachu got in front of MechaMew2. "_PIKA!_" he cried, signalling a Thunderbolt. There came the same result.  
Giovanni stood up victoriously.  
"It can't be..." Ash felt he was at a loss.  
"HA HA HA HA HA!!" Giovanni cackled loudly. "You see, MechaMew2 has the power to learn and copy the attacks of its opponents. And you, my son Ash, have completed MechaMew2's collection! _As of today, I, GIOVANNI, RULE THE WORLD!!!!!_" Giovanni laughed insanely, and his Persian's eyes flashed evilly. When Giovanni finished laughing, he pointed his right index finger to Ash and Pikachu and turned to MechaMew2. "Now, since I have no further need of you, _prepare to die!_ MechaMew2, give them a Thundershock!"  
For a second there, Ash felt that this was it. He has lost all hope. He was never going to see his friends and family again. Because of him and Pikachu, MechaMew2 was now invinicible, and ready to give them a Thundershock. He had been shocked by Pikachu before, but the shock he was about to feel was going to take him and Pikachu out for the count... _permanently._  
But then, just as MechaMew2 was warming up the commanded attack, a crack appeared in the wall. It elicted a "Huh?" from Ash and an "Eh?" from Giovanni.  
Soon, the crack turned into a large hole, and the wrecker appeared, flying in through the wall. It was none other than the real Mewtwo!  
"Giovanni!" Mewtwo spoke psychically. He got in front of Ash and Pikachu, defending them from MechaMew2's powerful Thundershock.  
"Mewtwo!" Giovanni addressed him coldly.  
"Yes, Giovanni," Mewtwo spoke. "Your 'slave' is back to defeat you once more. In our last confrontation, I erased myself from your memory. But it must not have worked!" He shook his right paw at MechaMew2. Giovanni knew exactly what he meant.  
"Oh, no!" Giovanni explained to the Psychic-type Pokémon. "Your memory erasure obviously worked fine on me and most of Team Rocket. I found out of your existence from Jessie and James, the only two Rockets who knew of you, and built MechaMew2. This mechanical replica can learn and copy its opponent's attacks. Now that it has learned every single attack, I don't need you any longer!"  
"Learn attacks, eh?" Mewtwo said. He warmed up a Psychic shot and got ready to fire it at his mechanical equal. "Well, I've got an attack I _want_ it to learn!"  
"Go ahead and attack, Mewtwo!" Giovanni taunted. "MechaMew2 will just send it right back at you!"  
So Mewtwo sent a shot at MechaMew2. It appeared to be a collection of Ash's happy memories: from when he first met Pikachu to when he and Misty danced at the Summer's End Festival at Maiden's Peak to when he released Butterfree to find a mate to when Pikachu decided to stay with him after the incident in the Pikachu Forest to when he won the Earth Badge to when Gary Oak lost at the Pokémon League Reigonal Championships to when he made friends with Ritchie to when he made it to the Top 16 in the Championships to when he saved the world with the help of Lugia, the 249th Pokémon to when he beat Drake the Dragonite Trainer to when he helped Mewtwo defeat Giovanni at Mt. Quena  
"All right, MechaMew2," Giovanni commanded, "attack your counterpart!"  
But MechaMew2 did nothing.  
"What are you waiting for?" Giovanni was furious. "Attack!"  
Suddenly, MechaMew2 turned toward its creator and began to speak. **"Giovanni..."**  
"What the--?!" Giovanni was surprised to hear his own creation talking to him.  
**"The 'attack' I learned from Mewtwo was 'love', 'friendship', and 'caring'. Now that I know of these virtues..."** At that point, MechaMew2 grabbed Giovanni around the neck.  
"Ack!" Giovanni choked.  
**"...I won't let you carry out your evil plans!"** Mecha-Mewtwo finished its statement.  
As the automation choked its creator, Mewtwo turned to face Ash and Pikachu. "Stay back, you two. This could get ugly..." He summoned a Barrier that shielded around him, Ash, and Pikachu.  
MechaMew2 prepared an attack on Giovanni. **"The attack I'm now going to use to level you and this Gym will be my final attack... SELFDESTRUCT."**  
"No no no no no!" Giovanni pleaded. "I'll make you a deal - It will all be... _ours?_"  
_BOOM!_

Mewtwo turned off his Barrier. Ash and Pikachu looked around at what was left of the Gym. The only part of it not completely destroyed by MechaMew2's Selfdestruct was the broom closet that Jessie and James had crashed into. Pikachu looked down at the limp, lifeless body of Giovanni.  
"How did you defeat MechaMew2, Mewtwo?" Ash asked the 150th Pokémon.  
Mewtwo gave his reply. "I took your happy memories and love, and taught them to MechaMew2. Because of that, it sacrificed itself to stop Giovanni from carrying out his world domination." He took off into the air and flew away. "Well, I'll be going now."  
"Will I ever see you again?" Ash called.  
"Maybe someday," Mewtwo answered, disappearing into the sky.  
Just after Mewtwo disappeared, the broom closet opened up, for the door had been badly damaged by the Selfdestruct, and then the now-no-longer-members of Team Rocket tumbled out. Jessie was hugging James, who had kiss marks all over his face.  
"Oof!" Jessie said, landing on James's head, which she didn't mind landing her lips on. "What'd we miss?" she interrogated to Ash.  
"You won't believe it," Ash told the ex-Rockets, "but it looks like your Boss is out like a light!"  
"That's good!" said James, weak from Jessie kissing him. "Or is that bad?"  
"Ash!" a familiar feminine voice called from behind.  
Misty, Brock, Delia, and Professor Oak came in, asking questions about the battle.  
"Did you defeat Giovanni?"  
"How did you do it?"  
"Did you hit him with everything?"  
"Why are Jessie and James in that broom closet?"  
"Well..." Ash reached his right arm into his left jacket pocket and pulled out the Diamond Badge. "I won the _Diamond Badge _after all!" He struck a trademark victory pose.  
"_PIKA CHU!_" Pikachu made the same pose.  
Ash remembered that he still had to make it up to Misty. And he knew exactly how to do it.  
"Uh... Misty?" Ash walked up to her. Blushing deeply, he held out the Diamond Badge. "I'd like to give you the Diamond Badge. It's my late birthday present to you."  
Misty blushed real deep, and her heart beat really fast. "Oh, Ash, that's so sweet of you..." she said, picking the Diamond Badge from Ash's outstretched hand. "...but why?"  
"Because..." Ash could now give only one explanation for giving the girl he loved the Badge he had won. He gave his answer. "...I love you, Misty."  
A tear of joy fell from Misty's beautiful aqua eyes as Ash said that. "Oh, Ash..." she said, blushing hotter than she ever had before. "...I love you too!"  
Happy to hear that, Ash and Misty embraced, and brought themselves together for their first kiss. This first kiss would be the start of a beautiful relationship. Someday, they would be dating. Someday, Ash would be putting an engagement ring on Misty's finger. Someday, they would be saying "I do", which they would seal with their first kiss as husband and wife. Someday, they'd have children. But for now, all they had on their minds was their first kiss.  
_Yay!_ Togepi cheered. _Mommy and daddy are happy again!_  
The kiss broke soon after, leaving a mark of light pink lipstick on Ash's lips.  
Professor Oak observed them gladly, Brock gave a "way to go!" thumbs-up, Pikachu and Togepi cheered them on, and Delia smiled at her son and future daughter-in-law. "Oh, that's so cute!" she said. "My little boy has gotten a girlfriend!"  
"Mom!" Ash said to his mother. Misty hugged him around the neck, the Diamond Badge in her left hand. Ash paused for a bit, looked at how happy Misty was smiling, then turned back to Delia. "Well, I suppose you can kiss Pokémon Trainers if they're your son or boyfriend."  
Misty tightened their embrace. "And you're always a Pokémon Master to _me._"

Ash: "One world... (Misty: "One world") Now and forever!  
Best friends... (Others: "Best friends") Loyal and true!  
One dream... (Others: "One dream") Put side by side!"  
All: "There's nothing we can't do!"  
Misty: "One hand... (Others: "One hand") Helping the other!"  
Brock: "Each heart... (Others: "Each heart") Beating as one!"  
Delia: "We live..." (Others: "We live") Oak: "Always together!"  
All: "Sharing the same bright sun!  
You & me & Pokémon!

(One world!) 'Till the end I will be with you!  
(Best friends!) We will go where our dreams come true!  
(One dream!) All the times that we have been through!  
You will always be my best friends!

(One hand!) 'Till the end I will be with you!  
(Each heart!) We will go where our dreams come true!  
(We live!) All the times that we have been through!  
You will always be my best friends!"

(All: "One world") Ash: "A magic feeling..." (All: "Best friends") Misty: "It's grown so strong..."  
(All: "One dream") Oak: "Always leads me to the place where I belong..."  
(All: "One hand") Delia: "Won't go away..." (All: "Each heart") Brock: "Never let me down..."  
(All: "Best friends") All: "We've got the greatest friends that ever could be found!

Across every river! (Behind every tree!)  
You & me & Pokémon! (Pokémon!)

(One world!) One world... Now and forever!  
(Best friends!) Best friends... Loyal and true!  
(One dream!) One dream... Put side by side!  
There's nothing we can't do!  
(One hand!) One hand... Helping the other!  
(Each heart!) Each heart... Beating as one!  
(We live!) We live... Always together!  
Sharing the same bright sun!

You & me & Pokémon!  
You & me & Pokémon!  
You & me & Pokémon!  
You & me & Pokémon!  
You & me & Pokémon!  
You & me & Pokémon!

One world!"

Jessie and James looked at each other.  
James started to say something. "You think we should..."  
"...go with them?" Jessie finished James's sentence as if they were already a married couple.  
Meowth thought about it for a moment. "Guess so," he decided. "We'll probably do better as _good guys!_"  
The good guys were just about getting ready to leave. Misty scooped up Togepi in her right arm, and put her left arm around Ash. Ash put his right arm around Misty, and they walked out with the others. Brock and Professor Oak gave Ash compliments for winning the battle, and Delia tried to get to know her future daughter-in-law better. Team Rocket followed them out, hoping to become good guys.  
But no sooner had they left, when Giovanni opened his eyes and lifted himself up, shaking his fist in vengeance...

**The End(?)**


End file.
